As such, over the next four years, because we're going to be ever-reliant on our smartphones for all manner of things, these devices will reach three-quarters of mobile data traffic.

Last year was already a landmark period of activity, as number of mobile-connected devices had officially exceeded the world's population, Cisco stated.

Also in 2014, global mobile traffic increased by a massive 69 per cent, which was equivalent to 30 times the size of theentire global internet back in 2000.

"Almost half a billion (497 million) mobile devices and connections were added in 2014," Cisco went on to say.

"Global mobile devices and connections in 2014 grew to 7.4 billion, up from 6.9 billion in 2013. Smartphones accounted for 88 per cent of that growth, with 439 million net additions in 2014."

The company, which describes itself as a "leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate", anticipates that approximately half of all devices that will be connected to the mobile network will be classed as "smart".